IN THE SHOWROOM . . .
Bentley Continental GT Speed
Prices £137,500
On sale in UK Bentley is taking orders now, with first deliveries by
the end of the year
What’s different? For those who found the 552bhp Continental GT
lacking power, an extra £17,000 now buys a 600bhp Speed version, whose
202mph top speed makes it the first Bentley to officially top the double
ton. The 0-60mph time also improves, by 0.3sec to 4.3sec. Tauter suspension
and weight reduced by 35kg improve cornering, and consumption and emissions
are improved by around 3.5%
Why should I care? Because this is the first significant tweak to the
Continental GT since its 2004 launch. Incidentally, the standard car
continues in production
Consider also Aston Martin DB9 £109,750, Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
£182,952, Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG £103,552
JUST ANNOUNCED . . .
Mini Clubman
Prices £14,235-£17,210
On sale in UK November
What’s different? It is, for want of a better description, a Mini
estate, although it looks more like a stretch Mini with its longer
wheelbase, 8cm extra rear legroom and a much bigger boot accessed via a
vertically split tailgate. It will be available in Cooper, Diesel and Cooper
S guises for about £1,200 more than the standard Minis on which it is based
Why should I care? The name is inaccurate: the original Mini estates
were the Traveller and Countryman, while the Clubman was an upmarket version
of the standard car. The new Clubman is for motorists who passed up the Mini
because they couldn’t get their children in the back or luggage in the boot.
As such, it should prove popular
Consider also Nissan Note £9,990-£13,590, Volkswagen Golf Estate
£14,347-£20,417, Mercedes-Benz A-class £13,892-£21,777
